Howdy Stranger

Many many many apologies for this taking so long to write, but my motel doesn't have internet access, and Adam came back with a pretty nasty cold and has been sleeping much of the time since he's been back. Needless to say, trying to find an internet cafe hasn't exactly been a top priority in the last couple days.


Having said that, we have had many happy returns. One of Adam's friends on base arranged to get me through the front gate on the day of his arrival (things are uber-secure around here), and I waited along with the handful of wives and husbands awaiting the arrival of our sailors. I was surprised by how few family members were there to welcome the unit back. In typical military "hurry up and wait" fashion, I got to the base early, only to find out that they were running about 3 hours late. I got a chance to speak to some of Adam's colleagues from Iraq who had arrived in California a week earlier; I was gratified to hear them say some really nice things about Adam and the hard work he performed over there. Once the busses rolled into view, of course we all got excited, but it took several minutes before I finally saw my tall SeaBee, looming over the heads of his fellow sailors. I ran out to him and laid a big one right on him.


As promised, we called his mother and my mother before he had to take care of some administrative stuff. If you haven't gotten a call from us yet, please don't take it personally. We have been WAY over our allotted cell phone minutes for the month and Adam has been too ill to carry on a conversation with anyone. He is feeling better now and our new minutes just kicked in, so we promise to follow up on calling all you folks who we owe a call to.

Kika was VERY happy to see her daddy again. It took her a few beats before she realized who was standing in the doorway and then she went ballistic. As I suspected, it's pretty much been "Mommy who?" ever since he's been back. Shabbi, as I also expected, is so far gone that she shows no signs of recognition. But, I am grateful that I made the effort this summer to keep her alive so that Adam has had time with her now that he's back. We are (with great difficulty) deliberating saying good-bye to her here in California. We don't know that she would comfortably make the trip back up to Oregon, much less back to Michigan. It's the hardest decision we've had to make so we're taking our time with it. I will keep you updated on that front, too.

So, yes, I am a happy lady right now. I asked Ads if I look older since the last time he saw me. His canned answer is "Yep, time for me to trade you in for a newer model!" He looks great, just very thin. With all the food they were feeding him over there, I was sure I was going to have a Mr. Stay Puff on my hands; instead, he's a little too thin, especially added to his sickness. I've been trying to get him out into the sun and onto the beach to add a little color to his pallor.

Thanks again to you all for being so supportive (and patient in the last week!) of us. It means the world, and we can't wait to see you all when we head back eastward this fall. Lansing-ites, we have a predicted arrival for the end of October, just in time for my favorite holiday, mmmmuuuhahahahhahahhahaha!!!!!

Love to you all...Lauren, Adam, Shabbi and Kika

Good-bye Oregon...For Now

Feeling nostalgic about leaving my summer home tomorrow, so I thought I'd post one last blog from Oregon before I go. I'm mad that it took me all summer to leave the cafe with SCM; now that I've finally found really nice, cool people at this used bookstore that has WIFI access, it's already time to leave. The guy here even gave me my last cup of joe on the house to bid me adieu. Why didn't I come HERE all those months?

Everything's just about packed, just need to clean out the smelly car and wash some linens before I load up. In true Lauren fashion, though, I am procrastinating going home and completing necessary chores...*sigh*

I'm really going to miss this little town of Roseburg. It turned out to be a lot friendlier and cooler than I originally gave it credit for. There are very few places where you can go wine-tasting, hiking, swimming in the river and owl watching all in one day. This summer was exactly what we three girls needed, even if we didn't know it when we moved out here. We saw loads of stuff, did tons of fun things and met a lot of really great people, some of which, I'm certain will be lifelong friends. So, as I bid the PNW (Pacific Northwest) farewell, I carry with me many fond memories of beautiful scenery, yellow jackets, tumbling down hills, thorny vegetation, bears, elk, songbirds, canoeing, dinners with friends, horseback riding, holding a spotted owl and much, much more. Good-bye summer. Good-bye Oregon.

Next stop, Redwoods National Forest, California...

Less Than a Week

This time next week, I will be a VERY happy girl (wink wink). Adam is due back to the states by the end of the week. I am all packed, the house is clean, and as of Monday morning, the girls and I will be California-bound, to go get our guy. I will try to find internet along the way to continue the posts.

Old Friends, New City

Apologies for the lack of recent postings of late, but gotta admit, I've been having the time of my life this last week! After I bid my housemates adieu (they went on a 2-week long holiday), I got myself and the girls together for a northerly trip to Washington. This was motivated by a visit to some good ole friends of mine from my early Michigan days, Kate and Brad. They moved out here a few years ago, and have since had a couple kids--cutie pie kids, I might add--in the interim. It had been about 3 1/2 years since I'd seen them, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised by how easily we sank back into our old friendship, catching up and joking around. Kate is my fave potty humor friend, so I could totally be my naturally poopified self around her, and she just laughed. Gotta love her!

Despite being parents to an adorable (not to mention active!) toddler and newborn baby, Brad and Kate still found time to show me around downtown Olympia, where we attended the Sunday farmer's market and visited the fish ladder to see the salmon running. They were also responsible for some yummy vegetarian meals while I was visiting, so hats off to my great ole friends!

Monday morning, the girls and I set off for downtown Seattle. I was a little apprehensive about invading a foreign city, but what the hell, I am an American, that's what we do, right?? Once I got to my motel (Motel 6, by the way, allows pets without a pet fee, even if it is a little sketchy...), I got a guide to the city and found Seattle fairly easy to drive to and navigate around. The familiar rush of driving through busy city streets came back all at once and I realized how much I've missed living in the hustle and bustle of a real city (sorry Lansing...). That first day, I made it to the Space Needle and did the obligatory tourist visit to the top. It was really interesting to read all the history surrounding its construction. I walked around the city center for awhile, and then tried to find a sushi restaurant my friend Alix had suggested I check out. Evidently it no longer exists because no one in the neighborhood knew what I was talking about, so I settled for sushi at another restaurant, and it hit the spot. I loved walking around at night, the energy and zip-zam-zibble-bobble that pulses out at you. The only thing that surprised me was how early things close in Seattle for being such a city. A lot of restaurants were shutting down by 9pm, unheard of by NYC standards. Day 2, I got out early and went to (what else?) the Pike Place farmer's market, the go-to place for tourists after the Space Needle. This is the oldest farmer's market in the U.S., and perhaps the largest. It seems to go on FOREVER, and there are many levels of shops and stores. It was great. I spent far too much time there, but couldn't tear myself away. When I left, I encountered a Japanese teahouse (The Vital Leaf) that was offering free tastings. Can this tea enthusiast resist? Of course not! After several yummy sips of jasmine tea later, I headed outside of the city to the Museum of Flight. I don't know why this piqued my interest, but as soon as I heard that the Concorde and Air Force One were parked there, I had to go. Unfortunately, I spent so much time at the farmer's market that I missed the opporunity to see the two above-mentioned jets, but I did get 1 1/2 hours in the museum to see films on the history of flight and many retired aircraft. Later that evening, I went back into the city for a dinner of fish and chips. I was craving it, and it was good, but I definitely know why I am vegetarian. I think I've fulfilled my fish craving for another year.

My favorite thing about Washington? All the major highway signs have silhouettes of Washington's head on them. I LOVED that! I mentioned that to Kate and she said, "So if anyone asks why you decided to move to Washington, you'll say it's because you like his head on the highway signs?". Hey, I never said I was intriguing, just a little original. Later gators!



Didn't quite get close enough...but we were about to enter Washington...



Olympia's capitol building looks a bit like Lansing's capitol building...



Brad and Ella at the fish ladder, surprise, surprise!



Kate and (sleeping) baby Jack!



This is the Museum of Science Fiction; the building was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, who I once saw giving a lecture at the Guggenheim in NYC.



Sunset on the coast



Dim lights, big city



This might be my favorite shot from Seattle. I was at the Pike Place farmer's market, talking to my girlfriend on the phone, when I noticed a crowd gathering around an escapee king crab. This little boy and several other people were gently kicking the crab so it wouldn't go in the street and get run over. I finally got fed up that the vendor didn't go get his crab, so I picked it up and carried it back to the stall. At least if it's gonna die, someone should eat it!



Crazy busy at the Pike Place farmers market


The Space Needle at night...sometimes technology really can be beautiful...

Rosh Hashanah

Last night at sundown was the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Despite Adam's absence, I decided to observe our tradtion of celebrating with friends over a large feast. I cooked from 9:00-5:30pm yesterday to host a dinner for 9 people. It was great! I made matzah ball soup, challah bread, lubiya (black eyed pea soup), 3 different kugels (casseroles) and roasted root vegetables. We were fit to feed an army! Everyone had a great time and there was tons of food left over to send everyone home with whatever they wanted.
Here are some pics from the occasion! Shana Tova!


The hors d'vours table...Manischewitz spritzers and challah bread


These were the first challah breads that have actually come out the way I wanted them to! I got lots of compliments on them; needless to say, they didn't stick around very long.


Vegetable kugel, roasted root vegetables, apple noodle kugel, sweet carrot kugel and lubiya


Here, Janice, Mary and Patrick are sampling the matzoh ball soup; I think they liked it more than they were expecting to!


Everyone sends out a hearty "Shana Tova" to Adam!

September 11th...in Memorium

Six years have gone by since the single most terrifying day in my life, and I dare say, Adam's as well. I will never forget the sound of sirens on the Clearview Expressway, heading for Manhattan; the look on Adam's face when I got home and he told me both towers had fallen; or opening our door to our friend Tom, usually sarcastic and wise-cracking, but after having walked the more than 15 miles from midtown Manhattan to Queens, was sober and resigned as he hugged both Adam and me. Perhaps more than anything, I will never forget the black cloud that hovered over Manhattan for weeks, and that could be seen 15 miles away in eastern Queens. I know that people die in this world everyday, but I want to take this moment to remember the innocents who died in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on that day, and the many heroic rescue workers who died trying to save them.
Never forget.

Wine is Thicker Than Water

What a weekend! After the great time I had tracking owls with Janice and canoeing with Art, the girls and I took off for Corvallis Saturday morning. Anita and Eric had invited me to join them for a wine tour through the city; several stores and shops hosted reps from local wineries who were on hand to let you sample from their stock. It was pretty crazy to see people walking around the streets with stained wine glasses in their hands! I got pretty loopy by the end and begged off before we visited our last shop. I got to sample some great wines, though, and I've confirmed that my new favorite is the Pinot Noir, which is surprising since a bad experience with red wine a few years ago has kept me away from it until now.

Sunday morning, the girls and I headed for the coast, first stop--Newport. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or the ability (didn't want to leave the girls in the car on a hot day) to go to the aquarium there, but maybe another time. Instead, we walked down to the beach and watched the tide come in. I tried to walk out on the jetty a bit to check out the barnacles and sea stars, but the tide came in fast and almost swept Shabbi away! So much for getting closer to the coastline...

Afterward we tried to head down to the lighthouse at Yaquina Head, but electricity was down in Newport, which meant no traffic signals, which meant drivers were going a bit haywire. Traffic was backed up to high hell in the direction of the lighthouse, so sadly, we girls continued south down the coastline. We passed through lots of small seaport towns and wished we could have stopped at every single one of them, but alas! we must save that for another trip. I really wanted to explore some of the state parks and smaller fishing towns, so I think another trip down the coast is definitely in order! I was also hankering for fish and chips but the vegetarian restrained herself...

Made it down to Winchester Bay where we met up with Janice and Art. We toured around the Umpqua Lighthouse and looked for whales (no luck) since they had seen dolphins earlier in the day. Eventually we made our way over to a local community center to meet some friends and see a great up-and-coming artist perform. Out of Nashville, Mare Wakefield's voice sounded a great deal like Natalie Merchant to me (who, as many of you know, is one of my fave artists). Her music is folksy, bluesy, a little bit country all rolled into one. I was really impressed and ended up buying all three of her albums on the spot (which I _never_ do without hearing them first). I spoke to her and it sounds like she's hoping to start touring in the Midwest soon. For all you Michiganders, I gave her the business card I had for Magdalena's Teahouse in case she makes it into Spartan country sometime soon. As you well know, it's a great venue for new performers. If you want to check out Mare's sound, go to http://www.marewakefield.com/; I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Now I'm preparing for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) at sundown on Wednesday; it's a holiday Ads and I typically celebrate with friends, so I thought this non-Jew would carry on the tradition with my new friends even though Adam's away. I'm cooking a big dinner for upwards of 10 people--challah bread, 2 types of kugels, a couple veggie dishes, a roast chicken and the ever-necessary matzoh ball soup. I'm trying to find some literature about the holiday so I can inform my guests about the history and customs. I'll let you know how it goes!

Below are some pics from our weekend....

This was taken right after we got settled at the beach in Newport. The girls look so at home here; I'm wondering if they've been closet beach bums all these years...?

Tide comes in, dog gets feet wet...

Dog sits down, gets bum good and saturated...

Dog lies down, is one with the ocean...

Ocean has fun with dog, sends in the big guns...dog almost gets swept away and wants nothing more to do with former friend, ocean.



Shabbs was pretty wiped after her near-miss with the tide...Kiks and I couldn't wait to see more!


A stop along highway 101--Devils' Churn


The Umpqua Lighthouse is situated at Winchester Bay, south of Reedsport, OR. This is the second construction (completed in 1894), since the first one was destroyed by floods in 1864.
The original cost of construction was only $50.